Future Foods – News and Features

Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have grown rabbit and cow muscles cells on edible gelatin scaffolds that mimic the texture and consistency of meat, demonstrating that realistic meat products may eventually be produced without the need to raise and slaughter animals.

A provocative new study looks at the resource utilization and technological strategies that would be needed to make a Mars population of one million people food self-sufficient.

Scientists have created a model that predicts how several different conservation approaches could reduce demand for a nonrenewable resource that is absolutely vital for feeding the world: phosphorus.

Seaweed could be a new player in the effort to mitigate climate change say researchers who investigated the carbon offsetting potential of seaweed aquaculture.

Americans throw out a lot more food than they expect they will, food waste that is likely driven in part by ambiguous date labels on packages.

In the near future, we will be able to mass-produce meat directly from animal cells. But researchers warn that the most common media framing of cultured meat – as a "high-tech" innovation – may be the least effective in garnering consumer acceptance.

Cultured insect tissue could combine the planet-saving best of insect farming, GM livestock, labriculture and plant-based meat substitutes.

The EU's policy on genetically modified organisms (GMO's) is extremely strict and prevents new GMO crops from being authorized. The policy is based on arguments about the risk and unnaturalness of GMO plants - but these arguments cannot justify the restrictive regulation, three researchers conclude in a new study.

What goes into making plants taste good? For scientists, it takes a combination of botany, machine-learning algorithms, and some good old-fashioned chemistry.

While insects have been consumed for centuries worldwide, many people still haven’t warmed to the idea. But research shows that people who frequently consume sushi are more open to introducing edible insects into their diets.